Adjustable toggle actuated paper clamp



A. NOVlCK ADJUSTABLE TOGGLE ACTUATED PAPER CLAMP Filed Sept. 26, 1952 May 8, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTQR.

Abra/7am N0 VIC/f ATTORNE May 8, 1956 A. NOVICK ADJUSTABLE TOGGLE ACTUATED PAPER CLAMP Filed Sept. 26, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. Abra/1am N0 v/c/r M QM $&

AT TORNEY5 7 May 8, 1956 A. NOVICK ADJUSTABLE TOGGLE ACTUATED PAPER CLAMP Filed Sept. 26, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR: Abra/1am Na v/cA' NE Y:

ATTOR United States Patent ADJUSTABLE TOGGLE ACTUATED PAPER CLAMP Abraham Novick, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to F. L.

Smithe Machine Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 26, 1952, Serial No. 311,577

Claims. (Cl. 144-302) This invention relates to clamping devices and more particularly to a paper clamp adapted to hold together a ream of paper during a cutting operation on a die press.

A feature of this invention is to employ an adjustable toggle device which will apply equal holding pressure to various thicknesses of reams of paper.

Another object is to provide an adjustable stop to prevent the toggle from overriding beyond its dead center position.

A further object is to provide a clamping device having a toggle mechanism incorporated therein.

Another object is to provide a variable toggle clamping device for paper reams embodying safety features whereby the accidental lowering of the ram head on the clamp will not smash the clamp itself but will only shear a minor, easily replaced part.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a clamping device which is compact and of small height, rendering it unnecessary to twist the ream of paper or the cutting board to new locations in order to keep the clamp .out from between the press ram and the press bed.

Clamps heretofore used in conjunction with paper reams were always of the vertical type and it was impossible to bring the overall height of the clamp low enough to avoid being smashed under the head of the press. Also with these clamps the final clamping pressure applied to the ream of paper was transmitted by means of a screw or cam action which required the operator to keep on tightening the clamp until the ream of paper was properly gripped. This action required heavy manual labor. With the clamp of the present invention, the height of paper is set while the clamp is in a relaxed position. This is accomplished by the operator opening the jaws by lifting the clamp handle and slipping the jaws over the ream of paper to be clamped. He then rotates the handle until he can feel the jaws engaging the paper, then raises the handle and rotates it approximately one half a turn, following which he snaps the handle down, causing the clamp to tightly grip the paper. The force required to snap the handle down and to clamp engaging position is relatively small since it is applied through mechanical linkage.

Moreover, when the clamp is in gripping position, it is self-locked and release is effected merely by snapping the handle upwardly. It should be noted that after the clamp has been set for a certain thickness of paper it may be operated at this initial setting so long as the thickness of each ream of paper is not substantially changed.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed; it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the .spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my device in clamping position;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the lines Figure 6 is a top plan view of a spring retaining plate used in the modification illustrated in Figures 4 and 5;

Figure 7 is a front elevation of a spring used in the modification illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 Figure 8 is a sectional elevation of the handle and collar of the modification illustrated in Figures 4 and 5; and

Figure 9 is a front elevation of a C-clamp used in conjunction with the parts illustrated in Figure 8.

My invention as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 comprises a lower jaw member 1 having two upright supporting members 2 and 3 on either side to which the upper jaw 4 is pivoted in a manner hereinafter described. The lower jaw 1 is tapered at 5 at its forward portion to permit ready wedging insertion under a ream of paper 6. A forward portion of the lower jaw 1 is knurled as illustrated at 7 in order to provide better gripping action between the jaw and the ream of paper 6.

At the forward or left hand end as in Figure 1, the upper jaw 4 is rounded and knurled at 3 in order to provide substantially line contact between the jaw 4 and the upper side of the ream of paper 5 irrespective of the thickness of the ream. The rearward portion of the upper jaw 4 is reduced to fit between the upstanding members 2 and 3 of jaw 1 where it is pivotally supported from the upstanding members by means of pin 9 extending through member 2, upper jaw 4 and into member 3. Upper jaw 4 includes on its underneath side a pair of depending substantially V-shaped lever arms 10 and 11 which extend downwardly and are pivotally connected by means of pin 14 with one end of shaft 12 of the adjustable toggle member, generally indicated by the numeral 13. At the right end of lower jaw 1 (Figures 2 and 3) a cut out portion 31 is provided between the upstanding members 2 and 3 for accommodating parts of the adjustable toggle member hereinafter described.

The components of a clamp handle 15 are best illustrated in Figure 3. They include a hollow portion 15a which is fitted at its right end with a plug 16. The opposite end of handle 15 is threadingly engaged upon shaft 12 and formed with a collar 17 at its extreme left portion. In order to prevent the handle 15 from freely rotating about the shaft 12, and, consequently, upsetting the adjustment of the toggle hereinafter described, a spring-biased plug 18 is provided in handle 15 to frictionally engage the threaded shaft 12. The plug 18 is biased'against shaft 12 by spring 19 seated against retaining member 29 threaded into handle 15. A block 21 is slidingly supported on shaft 12 and is constructed with a projecting lip 22 engaging in an annular groove 23 extending about the collar 17 of the handle 15.

Block 21 is also fashioned with a pair of oppositely projecting pins 24 which serve as pivotal supports for one end of toggle links 25. The other ends of links 25 are pivotally supported from pins 26 projecting inwardly from upstanding members 2 and 3 of lower jaw l. The pins 26 are headed studs projecting through the members 2 and 3 respectively. Their heads 26:: are secured to the outside of upstanding members 2 and 3 by screws 27. Toggle links 24 are connected to cross member 28 which in turn provides a support for the adjustable toggle aligning stop screw 29. At approximately the center of cross member 28 and. directly beneath the shaft 12, the screw 29 is threaded into cross member 28. A lock nut 30 surrounds the screw 29 and acts to prevent accidental rotation of the stop 29. The action of member 29 will be described hereinafter.

The toggle action of my paper ream device is brought about by aligning the centers of shaft 14, pins 24, and pins 26. In Figure 3 the clamp is in open position and the free ends of the pins 24 are in engagement with the members 2 and 3. When handle is rotated downwardly to the position illustrated. in Figure l, the shaft 12 rotates about 14 toward alignment with pins 26. At the same time the upper jaw 4 is being rotated downwardly to clamping position since shaft 14 is being drawn toward the right as viewed in the, drawing. When the centers of shaft 14, pins 24 and pins, 26 are slightly beyond alignment in the downward direction with the shaft 12 engaging the stop 29, the, paper ream is tightly gripped and the clamp locked in position. It. should be noted that, if the toggle centers were in direct alignment, the clamping action would be unstable, since any jar of the handle 15 would cause the clamp to fly apart. However, when the toggle centers are slightly beyond alignment and the shaft 12 is engaging stop screw 29, the clamping action is stable, since the handle cannot move upwardly through dead center without having additional force applied thereto, and it cannot move further downwardly as this is prevented by screw stop 29. Of course, initially the screw stop 29 must be adjusted to properly set the toggle, but after this the clamp may be used repeatedly on reams of the same thickness.

If the thickness of the ream of, paper is altered, the operator merely rotates handle 15 about its. axis to, withdraw or extend shaft 12 relative to the handle 15 and ring 22. This withdrawal or extension. action causes upper jaw 4 to pivot about shaft 9 to close or open the jaws as the case may be. While this occurs the, shaft 14 is also relatively moved so that upon subsequent closing of the jaws by downward movement of handle 15 the relative alignment of shaft 14, pins and pins 26 also changes. In order to compensate for this, and to maintain the proper alignment of the toggle centers at their slightly beyond dead center position, the stop member 29 should be readjusted.

In the modification shown in Figures 4 through 9, the features which are essentially identical with those. of my invention as illustrated in Figures 1 through 3, the main differences residing in the toggle parts. In this modification the lower jaw 41 has two upstanding side members 42 and 43. The upper jaw is pivotally supported by means of a pin 45 between the supporting members 42 and 43.

The downwardly dependingportions 46 and, 47 of upper jaw 44 are slotted as at 49. The slots 49 accommodate pins 50 and are slightly curved along their length, the center of curvature being the axis of the pin. 45..

Substantially centrally located on the under part of the upper jaw 44 is a spring retaining plate 51 as illustrated in Figure 6 having a disc-like bottom portion 52 and a raised portion 53 extending partially around plate 52. A spring 54 having a U-shaped portion 55 engaging the spring plate member 51 and a pair of downwardly depending legs 56, is supported from the upper jaw. The legs 56 of the spring are biased against the pin 50 for purposes hereinafter described. The spring plate retaining member 51 is supported from the upper jaw 44 by means of a screw 57.

The hollow clamp handle 60 of this modification, is engaged on the threaded portion 61 of the shaft 62.v The extreme left hand portion of the handle 60,, Figure 8, is grooved at 66 to-accommodate the-C-clamp ring 67 and thereby retain the block 65 on the undercut. portion 63 of the handle and preclude longitudinal. movement/be:-

tween these two parts.

A block 70 is fashioned at one extreme end of the shaft 62 from, which project pins 50 engaged in the slots 49 of the depending members 46 and 47.

The block 65 has extending pin members 71 which are mounted in the links 72, the opposite ends of which are pivotally mounted from the upstanding members 42 and 43 of the lower jaw 41 by means of pins 73 (which are identical to the parts 26 of the modification shown in Figures 1 through 3).

A stop screw 75 is mounted directly beneath the shaft surrounded by lock nut 76 adapted to retain the adjusting screw 75 in place after its proper adjustment.

The modification shown in Figures 4 through 9 is operated in exactly the same manner as the modification shown in Figures 1 through 3. It may be noted, however, that the slotted portion 49 and the spring 54 act to partially absorb any blow onto the upper jaw 44. In other words there is a biased spring action between the upper jaw 44 and the block 70 whereby the upper jaw may move slightly downwardly in case the head of the press descends onto the clamp. Furthermore, the C-clamp ring which connects the block 65 to the shaft handle 60, will be the part of the device that breaks in case the upper jaw is further pushed downwardly. Since this part is relatively inexpensive and can be readily replaced, the damage, if any, to the device is slight.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what i desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l.v In a clamping device, a lower jaw comprising a flat plate having two spaced upstanding members, an upper jaw including a fiat plate hingedly mounted between said upstanding members of said lower jaw and having a rounded gripping portion adapted to provide line engagement with the object clamped and a pair of downwardly depending members, adjustable toggle menns for operatingv said clamping device including a threaded shaft pivotally connected to said depending members, a block slidably mounted about said shaft, a handle member threadingly engaged on said shaft and having a collar portion, said block having a collar engaging portion longitudinally interlocking said block to said handle, a pair of links connected by a cross-member pivotally supporting said block to said upstanding members of said lower jaw, adjustable stop means supported from said cross-member and adapted to prevent said toggle means from exceeding a position slightly beyond its dead center position.

2. A clamping device as set forth in claim 1, said handlehaving spring biased means radially bearing against said shaft adapted to prevent accidental rotation thereof.

3. In a paper ream clamping device. a lower jaw comprising a flat plate having a tapered forward portion and having a pair of spaced upstanding members, an upper jaw including a flat plate hingedly mounted between said upstanding members and having a rounded gripping portion adapted to provide line engagement with the top of a ream of paper and a pair of downwardly depending members, adjustable toggle means for operating said clamping device including a threaded shaft, pins extending from the end of said shaft connecting said shaft to said depending members, a handle threadingly engaged on said shaft, a block on said shaft and handle reciprocal with respect to the shaft and rotatably engaging said handle, means preventing axial separation of said handle and block pins projecting from said block, and linkage between said pins and said upstanding members of said lower jaw.

4. In a clamping device, a lower jaw comprising a flat, plate having a pair of spaced upstanding members, an upper jaw including a fiat plate hingedly mounted between said upstanding members and a pair of down- 5 A wardly depending members, adjustable toggle means for operating said clamping device including a threaded shaft, pins extending from the enl of said shaft connecting said shaft to said depending members, a handle threadingly engaged on said shaft, a block surroundingsaid handle, means connecting said handle and said block, and linkage attaching said block to said upstanding members of saidlower jaw, said downwardly depending members having slots therein, said pins extending into said slots, spring means extending from said upper jaw and engaging said shaft to bias said pins for the handle end of said slots.

5. In a clamping device, a lower jaw comprising a flat plate having a pair of spaced upstanding members, an upper jaw including a fiat plate hingedly mounted between said upstanding members and a pair of downwardly depending members, adjustable toggle means for operating said clamping device including a threaded shaft,

pins extending from the end of said shaft connecting said shaft to said depending members, a handle threadingly engaged on said shaft, a block surrounding said handle, a groove in said handle, a frangible ring in said groove bearing against said block, and linkage attaching said block to said upstanding members of said lower aw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 142,697 Holmes Sept. 9, 1873 514,752 Humphrey Feb. 13, 1894 1,349,225 Rosenblum Aug. 10, 1920 1,952,605 Pearson Mar. 27, 1934 2,103,074 Gardner Dec. 21, 1937 2,487,997 West Nov. 15, 1949 2,600,584 Snell June 17, 1952 

